21-Year-Old Shares Her Week-Old Mastectomy Incision

Elizabeth Nelson

By Elizabeth Nelson

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At just 21 years of age, Haily Peterson had to have a mastectomy to rid her body of breast cancer. Despite the jarring experience, however, Haily appears to be doing well and is more focused on sharing her story with others than she is on trying to get over the emotionally difficult situation.

Photo: YouTube/Haily Peterson

Just prior to this video, Haily went to the doctor to have one of her drains removed after her surgery. If you’re concerned about having drains after a mastectomy, Haily’s true-to-life explanation of the feeling will help you understand what you’re getting into. She doesn’t sugarcoat anything, but her words might also put your mind at ease.

Photo: YouTube/Haily Peterson

Now that one of the drains is gone and it’s been a week, Haily was able to take the butterfly bandages off her mastectomy wound, and she’s eager to show her viewers exactly what her post-op chest looks like. It’s not exactly what you’d expect, or maybe it is, but either way, it’s refreshing to see somebody open up in this intimate way and show others that a mastectomy is not really anything to be afraid of.

Photo: YouTube/Haily Peterson

Every body is different, and every mastectomy scar will be as well. But we’d like to remind you all, with Haily’s help, that you’re beautiful no matter what the results of your mastectomy look like. Check out the video below to learn more about Haily’s experience, see how her mastectomy turned out, and learn about her future reconstruction plans.

As a bonus, Haily’s cat makes a guest appearance at the end that’s just…well, it’s something to see. He’s an entertaining character and apparently the least interested member of Haily’s audience.

Elizabeth Nelson is a wordsmith, an alumna of Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, a four-leaf-clover finder, and a grammar connoisseur. She has lived in west Michigan since age four but loves to travel to new (and old) places. In her free time, she. . . wait, what’s free time?